Gerontechnology in perspective Herman Bouma

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Gerontechnology in perspectiveHerman Bouma
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Overview Why GT definitionGoals for aging
people GT Impact Matrix Impacts domains of
lifeGoals for Research and Development Understan
ding ageing gerontology Understanding
innovation technology Understanding GT cross
fertilization matrixSelection of matrix
cells Individual differences Inclusive
design Situated learning Technology
generation Motivation and benefits GT History
Literature Conclusions for phd research
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Why GT?Gerontechnology has emerged because
of two simultaneous developments in society 1.
demographic increase of aging people2. rapid
evolution of technological environmentsGerontech
nology aims at harvesting the fruits of
technology innovation for aging people as well.

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Gerontechnology definitionthe study of
technology and agingfor ensuring an optimal
technological environment of all aging peopleup
to a high age
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Goals of ageing people

• Products, services, and infrastructure serving
  private and public goals for their main life
  domains
• Aspects health, daily joy, dignity, mobility,
  autonomy, participation, citizenship,..
• Literature concepts Successful aging Quality of
  life (QoL)

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Third age and Fourth age Third age period
with only minor physical and psychological
restrictions and living an independent
lifeFourth age period of frailty and largely
dependent on care, mainly near the end of life
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GT Five domains of daily life

• Health and Self-esteem
• Housing and Daily living
• Mobility and Transport
• Communication and Information
• Work and Leisure

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GT Four goals

• Enhancement and Satisfaction
• Prevention and Engagement
• Compensation and Assistance
• Care Support and Organisation

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Some recent Technology including infrastructure

• Internet e.g. e-mail search machines weblogs
• Mobile phone sms
• Digital camera, digital photography
• Navigation tools (GSM)
• Games
• Robots
• Smart, adaptive products/systems embedded
  software
• Personal digital assistants (PDA)
• (How to keep track?)

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Goals of GT research and development (RD)

• Understanding for a purpose
• Supporting the ageing body (nutrition,
  physiology)
• Supporting the ageing mind (psychology)
• Supporting social relations and interest in
  society
• (social psychology)
• Supporting an enabling society (sociology)
• Supporting health (medicine)

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Gerontology

• Understanding of human ageing
• Nutrition Physiology
• Psychology Social psychology
• Sociology, Demography
• Medicine, Rehabilitation, Epidemiology

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Supporting the ageing body

• Nutrition healthy and preventive nutrients
• Physiology regular exercise

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Supporting the ageing mind

• Psychology mental activities, learning
  motivation decision skills
• Social Psychology contacts with family, friends,
  colleagues Citizenship

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Supporting an enabling society

• Sociology worldly affairs close and far
• (Political Science, Economics, other
  countries,)
• Demography
• (age distribution, gender, housing, family
  composition, economics, skills,.)

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Supporting health

• Medicine (combating disease)
• Rehabilitation (combating restrictions)
• Epidemiology (sociology of disease)
• (incidence, prevalence distribution)

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Innovative Technology

• Understanding developments in
• Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics
• Architecture, Building
• Information, Communication,
• Mechatronics, Robotics,
• Ergonomics, Design
• Business Management

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GT InterdisciplineGerontechnology is
interdisciplinary between gerontology and
technology disciplines Methods are often
discipline-specific Few professionals are
knowledgeable in both fields collaboration
necessary (cross-fertilization)
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Gerontechnology cross-fertilization matrix

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Individual differences

• Diversity of people increases with ageing
• health (healthy, various restrictions,
  depression,..)
• family (single, spouse, children,.)
• finances (poor, moderate, rich)
• housing (indoor climate, suitability,
  neighbourhood,..)
• skills (working experience, computer,)
• almost any other aspect
• ( the only common aspect of older people is
  their age)
• Spread measures more important than average or
  median

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Inclusive design (design for all, universal
design) Design of products or services for a
target group that includes as many users
possibledirected at the most restricted users
User participation of target group
essential.(various methods available)
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Standardisation/NormalisationNormalisation
products of different brands and products of
different functionality share certain relevant
properties (e.g. user interface) standardisation
makes this mandatory within defined limits
(international standardization committees)This
is of great value for both old and young
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Situated Learning Situated learning
learning while doingaided by suitable on-line
smart instruction (logical, simple menus and
prompts)Forgetting just occursForced
unlearning does not work
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Motivation and benefits

• Balance of benefits and costs
• benefits functionality, impact
• costs money, learning effort temporal
  discount
• Following friends and relatives (mimicry)
• External persuasion (media)

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Generation (sociology)Birth cohorts of
consecutive years that have lived through the
same important life experiences in society (e.g.
economic depression, presence of computers,
.)In particular the years until the age of 30
are decisive (formative years)
)
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Technology generationGeneration that has grown
up in a certain important technological
environment (unable to forget)(examples
functionalities mobile phone, user interface
type mechanical/electrical/menu)
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Physical and Psychological restrictionsGeneral
gradual slowing of functionsMobility walking
equilibriumSensory vision (acuity, field of
view) hearing (noisy environments, speech
directional hearing)Motor trembling
(writing fine motor skills) declining
forceMemory short term-, working-, prospective-
, long term-)Multiple tasks changing
more difficult
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Brief history of GerontechnologyBefore 1990
Technology and ageing (ergonomics for old people
aids for the handicapped)International
congresses Eindhoven 1991 Helsinki 1996 Munich
1999 Miami 2002 Nagoya 2005 Pisa 2008
International Society for Gerontechnology
1997Gerontechnology quarterly journal 2001ISG
discussion site 2004Masterclasses Eindhoven
2006, 2007, Taiwan 2007 Pisa 2008 Regional
chapters Japan 2006 Netherlands /Flandres 2007
Taiwan 2007 France 2007 Italy 2008?
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GT Community and its literature

• International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG)
  www.gerontechnology.info individual and
  corporate membership
• Discussion site isg_discussion-bounces_at_jdc.org.il
  from Lawrence Normie LRNormie_at_jdc.org.il
• Selection of literature
• Bouma, Graafmans (eds). Gerontechnology (1992)
• Graafmans, Taipale, Charness (eds)
  Gerontechnology A sustainable Investment in the
  Future (1998)
• Harrington, Harrington (eds) Gerontechnology Why
  and How (2000)
• Pieper, Vaarama, Fozard(eds)Gerontechnology3rd
  Millennium(2002)
• GERONTECHNOLOGY Quarterly Journal (Since
  2001/2002)
• Presently volume 6 (2007) Website
  www.gerontechjournal.net

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Conclusion for phd research

• Make GT goals explicit
• Select colleagues in other discipline
• Involve ageing people of target group
• Situate results in real environment
• Become fluent in English
• Keep digesting relevant literature
• Take an active part in GT activities